Warriors: Tiger's Rage
by Yalith's wolf
Summary: When Bluestar and Lionheart are chased out of ThunderClan, Tigerclaw becomes leader. The Clan is full of danger and Graypaw discovers that he alone can save his home from the tiger. AU of Into the Wild. Rated T for violence mainly. Read and review!
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

The wind blew softly around the clearing as a young tom prowled softly towards a small, defenseless creature huddled in the grass. He paused and flexed his claws in the mud, bringing fresh dirt up onto the wet mud. Rain trickled down his fur as his bright, yellow eyes peered forward. He crouched low, stuck his tail in the air, and leapt, claws extended.

"Graypaw!"

"Whoa!" The young cat tumbled out of the air and landed on his stomach in the muddy ground. He slid a few mouse-lengths then came to a stop. His whiskers twitched in irritation as he saw that his prey was gone. The smoky gray cat looked up at a huge brown tabby gazing down at him.

"I almost had that!" he spat. Then, with a teasing air, he added, "Shouldn't you be more careful, Tigerclaw?"

"We're having trouble at camp," said the large tabby, glancing at him with an expressionless face. "You need to come with me, Graypaw."

"Where's Lionheart?" Graypaw got to his paws and padded to the large warrior slowly, eyeing him uncertainty. "Shouldn't he come to fetch me?" the tabby said nothing as he turned and bounded towards camp. The smaller cat raced after him, his heart pounding with worry. Was his mentor okay? What about his mother? He took a deep breath as a sharp pain slashed at his side from running when he was still tired from a night of little sleep. He saw the camp entrance up ahead and shoved his way into camp.

Yowls were being sent out into the night as every cat gathered around the High Ledge. Graypaw pricked his ears and bounded forward, ignoring the pain in his side. He slowed as he reached the group, padding through them. His eyes narrowed in curiosity as he pressed into the opened at the end of the group. He felt his jaw fall open at the sight.

Longtail had cornered Bluestar against the ledge. Her blue/gray fur was puffed up and her tail was drawn by her hind legs. She had flattened her ears to her head and her eyes were narrowed dangerously.

"Bluestar was telling Tallstar Clan secrets!" yowled Tigerclaw from Highrock. He gazed down at her, hate burning in his eyes. "Do you deny it?"

She did not hesitate, as she answered, "No."

Graypaw stared in shock, as the whole Clan seemed to gasp in unison. He laid his paw closer to his leader but didn't make another move to get nearer. His yellow eyes were wide with a somewhat innocent shock.

"This isn't true!" Lionheart yowled. That was when Graypaw noticed his mentor. The large, golden tabby was a few feet away from Bluestar, cornered by Darkstripe. He glared at the dark tabby and Graypaw knew he could knock him out of the way easily. Why didn't he?

"Isn't it?" Tigerclaw turned his piercing gaze to the tom. "And did you or did you not kill Redtail?"

"Of course we didn't!" Bluestar snarled. "What do you think we are?"

"And we were…" Lionheart looked at the she-cat then back at the brown tabby with determination. "Seeking help."

"Help? From what?" Tigerclaw snarled.

"We cannot and will not say," Bluestar said evenly.

"I see." Tigerclaw gazed at them with calm eyes, though determined. "Then you know the way out."

"Allow me." Bluestar shoved her way through the crowd, Lionheart behind her.

"Lionheart!" Graypaw scampered towards his mentor.

The golden warrior turned to his apprentice, his eyes fierce. "Stay here, Graypaw. We will be back but say until then." The gray tom stopped and stared after them as they padded away, lifting a paw in shock and hurt. Soon, they were gone.

Tigerclaw turned to Darkstripe and Longtail. "Follow them." The warriors obeyed. The smoky tom stared after the warriors racing after his leader and his hero. As he looked back at Tigerclaw with wide eyes, he knew the Clan was doomed.

A dark ginger tomcat pushed past some reeds, padding after a light colored tabby cat and the smaller, silver she-cat. His heart was racing as he took several pawsteps towards Clan life and away from his two-legs.

---------

A dark ginger tomcat pushed his way through the reeds, padding after the light colored tabby tom and the pretty silver she-cat ahead of him. His heart was pounding in his chest beneath his fur as he took another pawstep away from his two-legs and towards his new life. Clan life.

"You okay?" The silver she-cat turned to him. "Rusty?"

"I'm fine." He smiled at her, trying to remember her name. "Thanks… Silverpaw."

She nodded, smiling gently. "No problem. Come on." Rusty headed for the camp, taking a few deep breaths. Soon he would be part of RiverClan.


	2. The Silver Cat

_Hey, guys. Thanks so much for the reviews!_

_ Nightmare and Dreams- Thanks! I'll definatly keep updating and your reviews will keep me motivated to do so! I'm really glad you liked it! I hope you like this chapter as well._

_ HiddenMusic- Yeah, I've had this idea for a long time and it's taken me a long time to type it. Thanks so much. Here's the next part!_

_---_

**_Chapter 1_**

Graypaw kept his head low to the ground as he prowled through the trees. He set his large paw down on the muddy ground as his yellow eyes peered through a bush directly in front of him. The smell of robin filled his nostrils as he readied his haunches for the final pounce.

His head jerked up at the sound of a pained yowl. "Lionheart!" The gray tomcat bounded after the sound, his head low to the ground for speed. Branches snapped in his face as he sped through the trees.

Graypaw skidded to a stop by his mentor, who was cornered by cats. Darkstripe was cligging to Lionheart's back, biting at the warrior. Longtail was biting and scratching at him and a few cats Graypaw didn't know were attacking him too.

"Lionheart!" he cried.

"Run! Graypaw, go!" Lionheart yowled at him. Graypaw didn't move and Darkstripe slowly advanced on him. With wide eyes, the young tom turned and bolted towards camp. He could get help and come back…. Darkstripe leapt onto his back. Graypaw yelped as he fell to the ground.

The dark tabby's teeth fastened around his neck and hissed, "Curiosity killed the cat."

Graypaw bolted up with a yowl and glanced around. He was safe. Safe in the Apprentices' Den.

"What's your problem?" growled Dustpaw from his nest. "Shut up!"

The young gray tom took a shaky breath, rolled his eyes, and shoved his way out of the den, ignoring Dustpaw's grumbles. He glanced around camp and saw his aunt, Spottedleaf in the Medicine cat's den. Deciding to visit her, he padded to the fresh kill pile, grabbed a mouse, and bounded to her den.

"Spottedleaf?" He poked his gray head inside.

"Hello, Graypaw." The tortoiseshell smiled at him. "What are you doing up so early?"

He dropped the mouse beside her and sat down. "I dunno. I almost always wake up this early."

"Are you going to the Gathering tonight?" Spottedleaf bent down and took a bite out of the mouse.

He shrugged his massive shoulders. "I'm hoping but nothing's positive." He hesitated. "Spottedleaf, you don't think Bluestar and Lionheart killed Redtail, do you?"

"Of course I don't." She looked up at him indignantly. "And I think that we were fools for allowing Tigerclaw to become our leader. Tiger_star_ will be the death of us."

"Spottedleaf…. I've been having these dreams." Graypaw paused before continuing. "I don't know what they mean but I always try to help Lionheart and I'm always killed... I think."

"They may mean nothing." The medicine cat sighed. "I'm not sure. I can try to ask StarClan, if you want me to."

"Yes, please." Graypaw began to back out of the den. "I'm gonna go see if I can join dawn patrol." The gray tom padded through the camp, glancing around. He recognized Whitestorm speaking to the Dawn Patrol that was about to leave and bounded towards them, studying whom was on the patrol. His new mentor (Mousefur), Runningwind, Longtail, Ravenpaw, and, of course, Whitestorm.

"Greetings, Graypaw," mewed Whitestorm, turning to face him.

"May I join you?" Graypaw panted.

"Of course." The white tom turned and trotted out of camp with the other cats. The young apprentice glanced around him at the forest. Sun beamed down on the tall trees, making the day much different than the day Bluestar and Lionheart had been chased out. "We're patrolling the RiverClan border."

Graypaw nodded and fell into step beside Ravenpaw. "How have you been?"

"I'm great!" Ravenpaw beamed at him. "I ended up telling Spottedleaf about my… uh… problem with Tigerstar…"

Graypaw's yellow eyes bulged. "And?"

"She asked if I was interested in training to be a Medicine cat!" Ravenpaw puffed out his chest. "Me!"

"Wow! What'd you say?"

"Yes! How could I answer any differently? She's speaking to Tigerstar now!" Ravenpaw swished his tail in anticipation as he glanced at the ground. "I hope he lets me. I can't take him anymore. I'll- I'll kill myself or something!"

"Don't say that!" Graypaw stared at him in horror. "I'm sure Tigerstar will let you! Even if he doesn't, Spottedleaf can help you now!"

"You're right," sighed the black tom.

"Stop gossiping back there!" growled Longtail.

"Let them talk," Whitestorm mewed. "It's not like we're hunting or we've reached the border yet."

Longtail spun his head around to glare at Whitestorm. "Who's the deputy here?"

Whitestorm rolled his eyes. "That would be Darkstripe."

"Well, I'm the deputy's deputy," spat Longtail, looking flustered.

Graypaw muffled his chuckle as he turned back to Ravenpaw. "That was great," he chortled. He recognized the scent of RiverClan and looked at the border.

A silver tabby was crouched by the stream, her paw in the water. A moment later, she pulled her paw out and a fish flew out. She grabbed it in her jaws then set it down by her.

Graypaw stopped walking and stared at her in awe. There was something about her that made his breath catch in his throat as he gazed at her. His yellow eyes softened and he lifted on paw into the air, cocking his head to one side.

"Graypaw. Come on." Mousefur glanced back at him. "There's nothing odd going on here. It's a fishing RiverClan cat. What a shock."

"Right." Graypaw tore his gaze from her.

"You okay?" Ravenpaw hissed.

"Yeah," mumbled Graypaw. "I… I think so."

---

_Bet you all know who she is, lol. Reviews are appreciated. I hope you enjoyed this!_


	3. Eventful Day

_Okay, here is Chapter 2. I hope you guys like this one just as well as the last one! Thanks for the reviews, they definatly motivated me to get this chapter up._

**_Chapter 2_**

Silverpaw looked up, her blue eyes following the small patrol. "Huh."

"You okay?" Firepaw, her best friend, came bounding towards her, pulling to a stop by the river.

"Yeah, I guess. A gray apprentice was staring over here though… It was weird…" She shook her fur. "I'm fine now. Will you help me get these fish to camp?"

"Uh, sure." The ginger tom grabbed several pieces of fish in his mouth and padded towards camp, Silverpaw behind him. Through his mouthful, he managed to mumble, "Crookedstar says we can attend the Gathering." Silverpaw said nothing; she just swished her tail, her eyes bright.

---

"Let all cats join beneath Highrock!" Tigerstar yowled. The Clan slowly began to gather and Tigerstar nodded at Ravenpaw, who padded forward. "Spottedleaf would like to take Ravenpaw as her apprentice! And I have agreed. Ravenpaw will now be trained by Spottedleaf!" They touched noses and Graypaw grinned at his friend.  
"Because of this, I no longer have an apprentice," Tigerstar mewed. "So, I will take over Graypaw's training." Graypaw stared and swallowed hard, trying to think straight. Tigerstar? No! He had just adjusted to Mousefur! His claws were digging into the soft earth in panic as he stared up at his new mentor.

"What was _I_ doing wrong?" Mousefur demanded hotly.

"Oh, _you_ did nothing wrong, but Graypaw will probably turn out a trouble maker, I can see it now. I must keep watch on him." _Lies,_ Graypaw thought bitterly. _You just want an apprentice! _Mousefur turned away angrily. Tigerstar turned and padded off the rock and the Clan separated.

Ravenpaw bounded to him, his eyes wide. "Oh, I'm sorry, Graypaw! I had no idea!"

"Don't worry about it." Graypaw shook his head. "I'll be fine. I'm gonna go visit Cinderkit, want to come?"

"I promised Spottedleaf I'd go out to learn herbs…" Ravenpaw looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Graypaw swished his tail dismissively. "Later." He turned and bounded towards the Nursery. Before he reached it, a small, gray kit came barreling towards him.

"Graaaaaaaypaaaawww!" Cinderkit pulled to a stop right infront of him and he nearly tripped over her.

"Whoa!" The gray apprentice pulled himself to a halt just in time and looked at her, whiskers twitching. "Hey, Cinderkit."

Her blue eyes were wide with wonder as she gazed at him. "Are you really Tigerstar's apprentice?"

"I… I guess so…" He sighed. It wasn't really a great thing.

"Wow!" Cinderkit stared up at him. "I wish I could be mentored by the leader!" The apprentice sighed again. She might not think that when she was older. "Graypaw? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Graypaw smiled at her. "How's Brakenkit?"

"He's good." Cinderkit sat down infront of him. "We're excited to be apprenticed." She sighed. "But we still have _moons_ to go."

"Time will pass." The gray tom let his tail rest across his paws. "You know, I might be a warrior by then."

"Oh! Maybe you can train me!" Cinderkit leapt to her paws, her blue eyes blazing with hope. "Oooh! I have to tell Brakenkit!" She turned and bounded back into the Nursery.

Graypaw got to his paws, chuckling softly. Once he had turned around, he found himself face to face with his new mentor. He let out a hiss of surprise and unsheathed his claws for a moment, before letting them slid back in.

"You're going to the Gathering tonight," Tigerstar growled. Without another word, he turned and trotted to his den. Graypaw looked after him for a moment, eyes narrowed in curiosity, then turned and padded towards the Medicine Cat's den to see if Ravenpaw was back yet.

----

The full moon lit the sky as Graypaw made his way around the cats, Ravenpaw by his side.

"Are you going to go talk to the other Medicine Cats?" Graypaw asked his friends as he looked from cat to cat.

"I can stay," Ravenpaw mewed slowly.

"Nah, go ahead." Graypaw flicked his tail. "I'll go find Sandpaw or something." He flicked his friend's sided with his tail and bounded off before Ravenpaw could get another word in.

He padded through the crowd, glancing at the talking cats. The apprentices were spread out this time. Graypaw sniffed around, looking for an apprentice from a different Clan to talk to. He scented RiverClan and turned to look.

A pretty, slim, silver tabby she-cat was talking to a ginger tom but Graypaw hardly noticed the tom. The she-cat was the one by the border. Slowly, he padded forward.

"Hi," he mewed, sitting beside them.

The silver cat looked at him. Her blue eyes sparkled with alarm for half a second before they became filled with kindness. "Hi. I'm Silverpaw and this is Firepaw."

Firepaw dipped his head in greeting. "Hey."

"I'm Graypaw." Graypaw twitched his ears.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Silverpaw mewed. _Sure is,_ Graypaw thought in agreement.

"Same here," Graypaw agreed.

"Hey, were you on a patrol this morning? I think I saw you earlier…" Silverpaw hesitated, waiting for a reply.

"Yeah, I was, actually. I saw the two of you." He hesitated. Did they see him staring?

"You were staring," Firepaw meowed suspiciously.

"Uh, yeah… about that…" Graypaw's heart was pounding although he managed to look calm. "I thought I saw a fox."

"I didn't see anything," Firepaw mewed, looking at him curiously. Tigerstar yowled for the Gathering to begin and Graypaw looked up gratefully.

"Bluestar has been chased out," yowled Tigerstar. "She and Lionheart killed one of our warriors." Yowls of shock and outrage filled the clearing. Graypaw hung his head, trying to plug the yowls out of his head. "Other than that, we have no news except that we have new kits." He stepped back and Crookedstar padded forward.

"RiverClan are sorry and surprised to hear about Bluestar. May StarClan set her straight once more," the tom mewed gravely. "RiverClan have a new apprentice, Firepaw. That is all." He took a small step back. Graypaw was hardly paying attention as the other leaders made announcements. Nothing interesting came up after that; just some stuff about prey.

When the leaders all got ready to leave the Gathering, Graypaw glanced at his new friends. "See ya later," he mewed, as he padded to his Clan.

"Yeah… bye…" Silverpaw cocked her head to one side, watching the gray apprentice pad away.

"I didn't see or smell a fox," scoffed Firepaw. She looked at him to see him watching Graypaw with an odd look in his green eyes.

"You don't like him do you?" asked Silverpaw softly.

Firepaw shrugged. "He's okay. I'm just glad he's not in my Clan. He seems a little unstable, if you get my meaning." Silverpaw nodded although she _didn't_ get his meaning. She sighed softly to herself. Oh well. Toms would be toms.

---

_There it is. The next chapter should be up soon. Reviews will definatly be appreciated. _


	4. Battle Training

_Hey, guys! Thanks for the reviews! _

_Nightmares and Dreams- Thanks a ton. I'm gonna try to get better with detail._

_Stripedtail-_ _Thanks for the review. Here's chapter 3. _

_HiddenMusic- Thanks a lot. I totally forgot about the "c" in Brackenkit! Ooops! Thank you sooo much for pointing that out!_

_Okay, guys, this chapter is a lot darker than what I hope the rest will be but I hope you enjoy it anyway.. And here it is!_

**_Chapter 3_**

Graypaw jolted awake and took a shaky breath, smothering the yowl before it split into the air. Slowly, he got to his paws and pushed his way into the clearing. The dream had returned again.

He shook his long, gray coat and padded towards the fresh kill pile. It was lower than he'd expected so he stopped and started to pad to the camp entrance so he could hunt.

"Graypaw!"

The apprentice turned to see Tigerstar padding towards him, his amber eyes cold. "Battle training. We're going with Darkstripe and Dustpaw." Graypaw fought back a scowl at the thought of Dustpaw. "Here they come." Both cats turned to see Darkstripe and Dustpaw padding towards them.

_I miss Mousefur,_ thought Graypaw in frustration. His former mentor never would have made him train with a cat he didn't get along with.

"Let's get going." Tigerstar took the lead and Graypaw fell into step beside the dark brown apprentice he hated.

"Liking your new mentor?" Dustpaw sneered. "Honestly, I don't think you deserve to be the leader's apprentice."

"Yeah, the position should be yours Oh Great Dustpaw," Graypaw said mockingly, rolling his yellow eyes.

The brown tabby hissed, his eyes narrowed. "Shut your trap."

The gray tom cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, am I upsetting you? Should I be honest and call you a pile of mouse-dung?"

Dustpaw hissed and lashed his tail. "At least I have a chance with a few of the she-cats in the Clan!"

Graypaw rolled his eyes. "If you mean Sandpaw, I'm not sure she's so fond of your new friends," he mewed, referring to how the brown tom had began to spend time with Darkstripe, Longtail, and Tigerstar for one reason or another.

"What would you know about it?" Dustpaw snarled quietly.

Graypaw shrugged. "Nothing."

"Exactly." The apprentice's eyes were dangerous so Graypaw dropped it instantly.

"Stop gossiping like elders and get over here!" yowled a voice.

Graypaw looked up to see Tigerstar and Darkstripe waiting in the clearing for battle training.

"Sorry, Tigerstar," Dustpaw mewed urgently as he bounded to the mentors. Graypaw rolled his eyes again and quickened his pace.

"We're ready," he mewed. "We're fighting each other, right?" Graypaw and Dustpaw eyed each other in satisfaction. What they would both give to sink their claws into each other without being yelled at.

"Not _this_ time." Tigerstar had a calm smirk on his face as he exchanged a glance with Darkstripe. Graypaw shivered slightly at the expressions on their faces. Something was up. Something bad.

"What?" Graypaw looked at them in slight alarm. That meant they were fighting their mentors. It wasn't unheard of but not commonly done, especially when there was another apprentice in the training hallow.

"Graypaw, come here and give me your best attack," Tigerstar mewed calmly. He got to his paws and looked at his apprentice expectantly. Taken aback, Graypaw took a small step back, staring at his mentor in wonder. Well, it wouldn't be Dustpaw but at least he got to practice fighting.

With a mighty yowl, the smoky gray tomcat leapt at his mentor, paws outstretched, his yellow eyes gleaming. Tigerstar moved out of the way easily and Graypaw rolled over and over until he crashed into a thick tree truck.

The apprentice leapt onto his paws, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head from his collision with the tree. Tigerstar raced towards the gray tomcat and barreled into him, sending him rocketing into the trunk again.

The apprentice leapt back onto his large paws and leapt onto his mentor's back with a screech, He dug his claws into the fur but before he could get a good hold, he was thrown off again. With a gasp of pain, he hit another tree and slid onto the ground. He lay motionless by the trunk, looking up at his mentor who was prowling closer and closer.

"Get up," snarled Tigerstar. "A warrior never stops!" He took his paw and hit Graypaw with it... hard. With a yowl of pain, Graypaw rolled over from the force of the blow.

He pushed himself onto his paws and took a small step forward. He had come no closer when Tigerstar barreled into him, sending him to the ground once more. He lay there, his breaths coming in sharp gasps.

"Who's the great one now?" he heard Dustpaw sneer. He didn't respond. It didn't feel possible. He glanced up at Tigerstar helplessly, his yellow eyes almost pleading.

"Practice is over," Tigerstar growled. "Get to camp while I watch Darkstripe and Dustpaw." Graypaw heaved to his paws and limped towards camp slowly. Once he was out of sight, he turned and started away from camp, trying to get away. It didn't matter where, he just had to get away before Tigerstar released more fury on him.

Rain had started to fall. He hadn't noticed until now. It fell down his sides and his face, cooling the burn on the wounds digging into the skin under his long, gray fur. The apprentice collapsed suddenly, unable to get to his paws again. Before he could even register where he was, he was out cold.

---

"Come on, Graypaw! Please wake up!" pleased a voice.

"What happened to him?" asked another. Both voices were familiar. With a small groan, Graypaw wrenched his eyes open.

"Graypaw! What happened? Are you okay?" Silverpaw's anxious face loomed over him.

"Hmmm…." The smoky gray tomcat looked up at her through hardly-opened yellow eyes.

"What happened to you?" Firepaw asked, his green eyes wide with curiosity.

"It's… complicated," Graypaw groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Uh-uh, no. Lay down." Silverpaw pushed him back down gently with a forepaw.

"I gotta get back," Graypaw muttered groggily, trying to sit again. "Tigerstar'll have my head."

"First, you need to explain," Firepaw meowed.

Sighing, Graypaw explained about the fierce training session. "Now, I really have to get back."

"No! Come back with us!" Silverpaw's face was anxious. "You must!"

"What are you even doing here?" Graypaw demanded in exasperation. He heaved himself to his paws and looked from one to the other.

"We were patrolling and we saw you…" Silverpaw took a pawstep closer. "So we came to help."

"Uh, thanks." Graypaw shook his fur and started padding towards camp.

"Where are you going?" Firepaw demanded, racing infront of him. The fiery apprentice blocked Graypaw's path, making the gray tom hiss in annoyance.

"I gotta get home."

"Don't call that place your home," Silverpaw snarled. "He beat you, Graypaw. It's not right."

"I have to go back!" Graypaw mewed fiercely.

"Why?" demanded Firepaw.

Graypaw's eyes softened. "Cinderkit and Ravenpaw. Ravenpaw's my best friend and Cinderkit's a little kit. I have to become an apprentice so I can mentor her."

Firepaw hissed, "You're still-"

"Go on."

Graypaw looked up, shocked to find that it was Silverpaw who had spoken. "You're letting me go back?"

"What? Silverpaw!" Firepaw gazed at her in shock.

She sighed heavily. "I think it's a stupid decision but we have to get back soon. Crookedstar's sick and we should have been back a while ago. Plus, I understand now why you feel like you have to go back."

Graypaw sighed. "Thank you." He nodded his head at Firepaw then Silverpaw in farewell. "One thing, I'll get in trouble if I don't so can I watch you guys...?"

"Leave?" Silverpaw smiled. "Sure. Come on, Firepaw." They turned, leapt into the river, and got out on their side. "Be careful, Graypaw!" Her blue eyes were full of concern.

Graypaw waved his tail. "I will. Thanks, guys!" He turned and bounded into his territory.

----

"No. No more training." Spottedleaf looked at his wounds fiercely as if she could make them disappear.

"Spottedleaf!" Graypaw looked up at her, wide-eyed. "Tigerstar will be furious!"

"_Tigerstar_ can deal with me," Spottedleaf growled.

"Oh, boy. Here he comes guys," Ravenpaw reported from the mouth of the den. He backed up slowly.

"Remember," Spottedleaf mewed to him softly, "a Medicine Cat cannot be harmed by a Clanmate." Ravenpaw held his head up a little higher as Tigerstar padded into the den. "No more training for Graypaw."

"What?" growled Tigerstar, his amber eyes burning with fury.

"Graypaw can patrol and go out on his own but I refuse to let him go through more battle training until I say he can," Spottedleaf told him sternly.

"Fine." Tigerstar turned and stalked out of the den, his tail sticking up in the air.

"Thanks, Spottedleaf," Graypaw mewed.

"Your welcome, Graypaw," Spottedleaf meowed.

--

_All in all, teh abttle training was darker than I thought it'd be but I think this chapter turned out okay. Please tell me what you thought. Thanks._


	5. Crookedstar

_Hey, guys. Okay, here's Chapter 4. It's shorter than I'd planned but I'm getting started on Chapter 5 right now so it should be up soon._

_ Nightmares and Dreams- Thank you very much! I hope you like this chapter as much. _

_HiddenMusic- Thanks. I'm glad you liked the battle training. I hope you like this one too._

**_Chapter 4_**

Graypaw padded through the forest, Ravenpaw by his side. It was raining again. The ground was wet and the grass was mushy under their paws. "I'm still really sorry," the black cat mewed.

"Come off it. It's not your fault," Graypaw replied. He felt a familiar scent waft into his nostrils and stopped. "Hey, mind if we go this way?"

"Sure." A look of surprise flitted across Ravenpaw's face. "That's towards RiverClan. Why over there?"

"Um… Our patrol scents are faint," Graypaw lied quickly. He led the way towards RiverClan and stopped. Silverpaw was sitting by the river. Her silver head was bowed and her clear, blue eyes were closed. Her tail was curled around her paws. Something was wrong. "Hey, why don't you go collect those herbs and I'll meet up with you? I'll renew the markers."

"All right." Ravenpaw cast him a glance. "You okay?" Graypaw nodded so his black friend bounded into the trees.

Once Graypaw knew he was gone, he trotted to the river and called, "Are you okay?"

Silverpaw looked up, her eyes mournful. "Crookedstar's dead."

"I'm sorry," Graypaw mewed. Confusion raced through his head. A cat wasn't usually this distraught when a leader died. "Do you not like your deputy?"

"Leopardfur is all right," Silverpaw meowed. She closed her blue eyes again. "Crookedstar was my father."

The ThunderClan apprentice's yellow eyes filled with sorrow. "Oh, Silverpaw…" Without another word, he leapt into the river and swam to her end, managing to fight the current. He pulled himself up beside her and nuzzled her comfortingly.

"What are you doing?" Silverpaw asked softly. "You'll get in trouble."

"You were there for me," Graypaw murmured. "My turn." He took a deep breath, welcoming her sweet scent. "Where's Firepaw?"

"Leopardfur made him go hunting," Silverpaw mewed softly.

"Are you okay?" The gray cat asked in a soft, kind voice.

"I've been better." Silverpaw breathed in deeply and looked at him. "Mistyfoot says I have to be strong. She says he wouldn't have wanted me to fall apart." Her voice cracked and Graypaw rubbed his muzzle against hers in a fierce passion.

"There's no way she can understand what you're going through," he whispered.

"I'll bet she can. This isn't so rare," she mewed.

His tongue rasped around her ear comfortingly. "It'll be okay," he told her. "You'll see. The sun won't hide from you for long. It'll come out and brighten your day." For once in his life, Graypaw wished _he_ could be in RiverClan. He wished _he_ could be her sun. She buried her face in his shoulder and said nothing. They both sat there for several minutes, not speaking. A familiar smell wafted into Graypaw's nostrils.

"Mouse dung," he hissed under his breath. "Ravenpaw and Firepaw alert. I gotta go."

"All right." Silverpaw pulled away form him and got up.

Slowly, the smoky tom got to his paws as well. "Will you be okay with Firepaw?" He wanted to suck the words back in. Of course she would. She was actually allowed to be with _him_.

"Yes, I'll be fine." She pressed her nose into his shoulder for a heartbeat then pulled away. "Go. Be careful though. Maybe I should help you…"

"What's there to worry about? The currents not that strong." He leapt into the water without another word and had to struggle to reach the surface. The current had strengthened. He tried to paddle to shore but found the water pulling him down, wrenching him down stream hungrily. It wanted to devour him for trespassing into RiverClan's territory.

"Graypaw!" Ravenpaw's voice molded in with Silverpaw's. He heard a splash right before he was pulled into the water again. His gray paws cut through the river but he couldn't surface. He was going to die. He felt the last of the air his lungs had hold force its way out of him. Bubbles floated towards the top as his eyes began to close.

Jaws clamped into his fur and pulled him up. With a gasp, he felt air rush through his lungs. A moment later, he felt himself thrown onto the soft grass. He choked out water and looked up to see Silverpaw gazing down at him, fury blazing in her clear, blue eyes.

"You idiot!" she yowled. "You absolute idiot!"

"What happened?" Ravenpaw asked. "How'd he get in?"

Silverpaw looked up at Ravenpaw as though she'd just noticed him. "He slipped. He was climbing up a rock and he slipped," she lied smoothly.

"It was a good place for a scent marker," Graypaw mewed weekly. He looked at Silverpaw and their eyes met. "Thank you."

"Your welcome," she mewed shortly. "Ever do that again, and I'll have your fur. Understood?"

"Yes, Silverstar," Graypaw teased.

She glared. "Never. Again." Without another word, she dived into the water. Graypaw watched her surface and climb onto her territory. Firepaw rushed to meet her and Graypaw turned to Ravenpaw with a sigh.

Ravenpaw shook his head. "I'm not going to tell Spottedleaf."

"Thanks. She'd kill me."

"Although maybe a good clawing would give you sense." Ravenpaw sighed heavily. "Come on. Let's get to camp."

"All right." Graypaw glanced over his shoulder at the place Silverpaw and Firepaw had been. They were gone. He looked back at Ravenpaw and padded towards camp with him.

--

_Sorry it's so short. I hope you liked it anyway. The next chapter should be up soon. Reviews are appreciated._


	6. Ravenpaw's Plan

_Hakepaw- Wow, thanks a ton! I loved reading waht you thought I coudl improve on. I hope that this is better than the others in detail and such. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as the others._

_Nightmares and Dreams- Yeah, it's a classic scene, I couldn't keep it out. lol. I'm glad you liked it._

_xxTallstarxx- I have palns for them, that's all I'll reveal. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Here's the next one._

_ Snowfeather-Dawnsky-Barkpelt- Yeah, it's waht the story is about._

_ Broken Gold- I'm glad you liked it. You'll have to wait and see what happens to her._

_ And here's the next chapter! I hope the long length on this one makes up for the shortness of the last one._

**_Chapter 5_**

Lionheart was under attack again. But this time, Tigerstar was there too. Graypaw raced to help his mentor instead of running like he had before. He leapt on Longtail's back and dug his claws into the cat's fur.

"Graypaw, go!" Lionheart demanded. His former apprentice ignored him and raked his claws over Longtail's ear. The warrior yowled and threw him off. The gray tom merely skidded on the ground a few feet before leaping back towards the fight.

But he never reached the fight.

Tigerstar leapt up and collided with him, knocking him to the ground. The large, brown tabby had him pinned to the ground, his massive paws on each shoulder. Graypaw's hind legs kicked helplessly at Tigerstar's belly, trying to knock him off. It was no use. The gray tomcat gasped as the brown tabby's weight slowly crushed him closer to the ground. His breathing was coming out ragged. Was it possible for him to suffocate this way?

"You should have left it alone," Tigerstar hissed. His jaws clamped down on Graypaw's neck, squeezing softly.

--

"Graypaw! Shut up! I'm trying to sleep!" Dustpaw knocked his head into Graypaw's side, jolting the longhaired tomcat awake.

"Gee, sorry!" Graypaw jumped to his paws, shaking his fur.

"Leave him alone Dustpaw."

Graypaw turned in surprise to see Sandpaw looking at Dustpaw with a fierce gleam in her eye.

"What?" Dustpaw stared at her in disbelief.

Sandpaw got to her paws, ears sliding back in frustration. "Maybe if you bothered to hang around with me, you'd understand that what you're becoming is nothing short of a monster." She looked at Graypaw with a slightly softened look. "Come on, Graypaw." She shouldered past her shocked ex-best friend and padded out of the den. Wanting clear answers, Graypaw padded after her, head cocked to the side slightly. The moment they were far enough away from Dustpaw that he couldn't hear or see them, Sandpaw wheeled around to face her den-mate.

"As of now, we are still enemies, got it?" She cocked an eyebrow, awaiting his reply.

Graypaw chuckled slightly. "Got it."

"But when it comes to Dustpaw, we're allies, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Graypaw she couldn't see that he was holding back laughter.

"Okay then." She turned and padded towards the fresh kill pile. He headed for the Medicine Cat's Den, chuckling to himself. He had to speak to Spottedleaf about his dream. About a moon had passed since his battle training with Tigerstar and this new dream had replaced the old one.

"Graypaw! Graypaw! Stop! Please, help me!"

He turned to see Frostfur bounding to him, a panicked look on her face.

"Frostfur? What happened?" He felt the fur on his neck rising slowly.

The white queen pulled to a stop infront of him. "The other queens were outside with the kits and Cinderkit and Brackenkit were sleeping. I woke up and they were gone!" She took a deep breath. "I thought that they were just outside playing with the others but then I went out and Brackenkit was there but no one had seen Cinderkit!"

Graypaw's yellow eyes flew wide open. "What?"

"I thought that if anyone could find her, you could." She shifted from paw to paw, looking at him anxiously.

"I'll be back." Without another word, Graypaw pelted out the camp entrance. "Cinderkit! Cinderkit!" He stopped log enough to breathe in deeply. He could scent her. Good. But where did she go? "_Cinderkit_!" Her scent went slightly towards… He swallowed. The ShadowClan border.

--

Cinderkit trotted through the trees and wrinkled her nose at a disgusting smell. "Ew," she muttered. She stopped, trying to decide if she should go further or go home.

"Who are you?"

She looked up to see a small tabby tom infront of her. "I'm Cinderkit," she mewed proudly. "Who are you?"

"Littlepaw of ShadowClan." He seemed to be torn between two things. "Don't take another pawstep," he told her warningly. "Or else you'll be in ShadowClan territory. You're just a kit so I won't hurt you but I'll have to take you off by force if necessary."

Cinderkit's eyes narrowed. "_Just_ a kit?" she echoed. She reached out and laid a paw across the border. "Ha! I took another pawstep! What are you gonna do about it?"

"Cinderkit! Thanks, StarClan!"

Cinderkit glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, hi, Graypaw!"

The gray apprentice bounded to her side and grabbed her by the scruff. He looked at Littlepaw and mewed, "Sorry about that. She's never scented ShadowClan before."

"Just get out of here before Clawface finds you," sighed Littlepaw. Graypaw nodded and trotted back towards camp.

"What were you doing?" he growled.

"Exploring." Cinderkit leaned form side to side so she swung from his jaws.

"The whole camp is searching for you," Graypaw growled through her fur. "Your mother and I were worried sick."

"Geeze, you sound like my dad," Cinderkit scoffed. Graypaw groaned inwardly as they padded into camp. He set her down and she scampered towards Brackenkit, mewling, "Guess where I went!"

Frostfur bounded to her and nuzzled her. Then she looked up at Graypaw and mewed, "Thank you."

Graypaw shrugged. "No problem. Don't worry about it."

"Graypaw! We've got some trouble!" Ravenpaw skidded to a stop infront of him, his eyes wide.

"What kind of trouble?" Graypaw sighed heavily. "Long as I don't have to go running around our territory looking for a trouble maker of a kit again, I-"

"Tigerstar's impatient. He says you have to return to training soon. Spottedleaf is talking to him but-"

"I'll train," Graypaw mewed, his yellow eyes hard. "I have to become a warrior and I only have a few moons left until Cinderkit becomes apprenticed."

"Graypaw…" Ravenpaw's blue eyes flashed with worry.

"Trust me, I'll be fine." He waved his tail and bounded towards the Medicine Cat's Den, Ravenpaw right behind him. The two of them padded into the den to see Tigerstar glaring at Spottedleaf.

"He hunts, he patrols, he's back in the Apprentice's den, he helps your apprentice collect herbs, surely he can battle train!" Tigerstar growled, lashing his tail.

Spottedleaf didn't budge. "No. Only Graypaw knows when he's ready and he hasn't told me anything so I say that-"

"I can train." Graypaw stepped forward, glaring at Tigerstar. "I'm strong enough to train again, Spottedleaf." She looked at him, alarmed.

"Well, then, that's settled." Tigerstar gave her a smug look. "Meet me at the training hallow, Graypaw." Graypaw took a deep breath as his mentor padded out of the den.

"Well, I, uh, better go," he mewed, eyeing Spottedleaf nervously.

"That was mouse-brained," she mewed, her eyes narrowed. "What in the name of StarClan were you thinking?"

"I have to be a warrior. I have to train Cinderkit." He glanced over his shoulder at the small kit playing with her brother then looked back at the Medicine Cat.

"Right now, I'm speaking to you as your mother's sister, not your Medicine Cat," Spottedleaf mewed softly. "Look after yourself."

Graypaw chuckled. "You speak as if you'll never see me again." She said nothing. "He's not gonna kill me."

"No, he's not," Spottedleaf mewed; though her face said, _On purpose_.

"I'll be fine." Graypaw started to back out of the den. He looked at Ravenpaw. "Ravenpaw can come with me, right, Ravenpaw?"

Ravenpaw nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Let's go, Graypaw." The two apprentices quickly padded out of the den and towards the hallow.

--

"Why are you here, Ravenpaw?" Tigerstar growled, watching the two apprentices join him in the training hallow.

"Spottedleaf wanted me to make sure Graypaw doesn't over do it," Ravenpaw mewed coolly, sitting down by a tree. Graypaw glanced at his friend, half-surprised. He had never been able to speak to Tigerstar in such a cool manner before. Being a Medicine Cat must have been good for him.

"Fine." Tigerstar turned to Graypaw. "Are you ready?" Graypaw crouched down, ready to spring. Before he could, Tigerstar swatted his paws out form under him. With a yowl of shock, Graypaw hit the ground. His mentor was about to pin him down but Graypaw, recognizing the move from his dream, rolled out of the way and leapt onto Tigerstar's back. He leaned down and sunk his teeth into the tabby's massive shoulder. With a hiss of annoyance, Tigerstar reared on his hind paws and backed up a few steps, slamming his back and Graypaw onto a tree.

Yowling, Graypaw released him and his mentor spun around and swiped his claws around Graypaw's head. Blood oozed down his muzzle as he slid onto his belly, dazed.

"Tigerstar…" Ravenpaw's voice seemed far off.

"No." It was both Tigerstar and Graypaw who spoke.

"Graypaw, I don't think…" Ravenpaw sounded concerned and surprised.

"I can do this," the cat growled as he pushed himself onto his paws. A brown paw whacked into his side and sent him skidding into another tree. Hissing, he spun around to face his mentor. Without a word, he flew at him and raked his claws across his mentor's face. With a yowl of shock, Tigerstar leapt back then looked up, his amber eyes glowing. Graypaw had crossed the line. A trickle of blood fell down Tigerstar's face as he hit Graypaw's side with his head in anger. Graypaw started to fall again but he caught himself.

A moment later, he raced behind Tigerstar and grabbed his mentor's tail in his teeth. The large tom spun around, sending Graypaw and his tail flying, making Graypaw hit yet another tree. He tried to yowl as he felt the breath knocked out of him. He reached out with his unsheathed paw but felt it knocked aside as Tigerstar raked his claws down the side that hadn't hit the tree.

"Stop! Now! He's had enough!"

Graypaw heard Ravenpaw bounding towards them as he opened his eyes to face the Medicine cat apprentice.

"No, I can do it," Graypaw mewed, forcing himself to his paws.

"Not right now," Ravenpaw murmured to his friend, supporting him and he started to lead the way out of the clearing. "Right now, you have to trust me." The black tom looked up at Tigerstar and mewed, "I'm going to take Graypaw into the forest and help him there so he'll have an easier time getting to camp." The brown tabby scoffed a reply and bounded back towards camp without another word.

"I can get to camp," Graypaw mumbled as he leaned on Ravenpaw so he could stand right.

"Don't count on it," Ravenpaw mewed fiercely. "Remember, it's time to trust me. Its "trust Ravenpaw" time." Once they were by a bush, Ravenpaw gently laid his friend down and got busy gathering herbs. A moment later, he set a leaf down beside Graypaw. "Eat what's on the leaf."

"What is it?" Graypaw mumbled, too tired to look or smell it.

"Just trust me. I'd never steer you wrong."

"Fine…" Graypaw lapped up what was in the leaf and, as he did so, curiosity filled him. They were seeds. Why was his friend feeding him seeds? Then he realized what they were. "Poppy seeds. You gave me poppy seeds," he muttered as he felt himself slipping into sleeps waiting claws.

"I'm sorry. You'd never let me do what I have to do if you were conscious," Ravenpaw murmured before Graypaw gave into the sleep tugging at him.

--

"He's coming to."

"That was fast, I thought you gave him poppy seeds!"

"I did!"

"Will you two stop arguing so we can get him across before he wakes up? Here, put him on my back and I'll swim across." The voice was sweet, warm, and kind. Graypaw would know it anywhere. He wrenched his eyes open to see Firepaw crouched beside the river.

"The currents not too strong," the fiery apprentice mewed, looking up. "You shouldn't have a problem getting across." His fur was matted with something brown that smelled like fox-dung. Maybe it was fox-dung…

"What's going on?" Graypaw muttered.

"Great StarClan, you're awake!" Ravenpaw was staring at him in shock. "Silverpaw, you better go now before he gets his strength back." The ray apprentice took a deep breath and nearly choked. Why was fox-dung filling his nostrils? Then he realized that he was on Silverpaw's back and her fur was matted with the same brown stuff that Firepaw's was. Without a word, she leapt into the river.

Icy cold water splashed onto Graypaw's coat as she swam towards RiverClan territory. It took all of Graypaw's self control not to squirm. A moment later, she pulled herself onto the bank, Graypaw on her back. She then set him down gently.

Confused, the gray tom pushed himself into a sitting position. "What's going on?"

"You're going with them." Sadness clouded Ravenpaw's eyes from across the river.

"What?" Graypaw leapt to his paws, staring at his friend. "No! Why?"

"I saw it today. If I hadn't interrupted, Tigerstar would have killed you. It's to dangerous." Ravenpaw sighed then looked up at him, his eyes mournful. "It's the only way."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"Not long. I knew I had to do something when I saw how week you were and then I remembered the she-cat that saved you and how you'd met them last Gathering. I gave you poppy seeds and took you here. I was lucky that they were hunting."

"RiverClan won't except me!"

"Leopardfur's no fool," Silverpaw meowed. "She knows that we need as many apprentices as possible right now. She had greencough and we can't afford to lose her too. Anyway, she values Mistyfoot's advice and I know that Mistyfoot will take a cat in need."

Graypaw glared at her and Firepaw, who had just pulled himself onto Riverclan territory. "I'm not deserting my Clan."

"We'll be fine." Ravenpaw twitched an ear as he spoke. "But I'd never forgive myself if you were killed and I could have stopped it. So I stopped it." He sighed and looked at his friend sorrowfully. "Good bye, Graypaw." He turned and began to pad away.

Graypaw shook his head and padded as close to his territory as the river would allow. "No, no! Ravenpaw, please! Ravenpaw!" His friend didn't turn around once and, after a few heartbeats, he was gone. The gray apprentice dropped back onto his hind haunches, staring after his friend, hurt ripping at his heart. His friend had left just like that without even looking back once.

"Come on, Graypaw." Silverpaw nosed his shoulder gently. "Trust me. It'll be all right." Graypaw closed his eyes and turned towards RiverClan- no, _his_ Clan- and padded beside Silverpaw. "I'll be right back. I have to wash this fox-dung off." She padded away and, when she returned, Graypaw felt just as alone as he had before.

What he couldn't see, was that Ravenpaw had doubled back and was now watching him enter his new home.

"It's StarClan's plan," the Medicine Cat apprentice mewed softly to himself before he turned and padded back to his Clan. He had saved his best friend and now it was time to help his Clan in whatever way he could.

--

_This one was definatly longer than the last. I know it was dark but I hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you thought._


	7. All's Fair in Love and War

_Nightmares and Dreams- Thanks. Yeah I know it was a bit messy. I was really rushed last time(Sorry about that) but I could take my time with this chapter._

_Hakepaw- Same thing I told Nightmares and Dreams, I was rushed. Sorry about that. Yeah, I thought that if Ravenpaw had someone supportive trianing him he's be more confident. Leopardfur is sick with greencough. Thanks for tee review!_

_HiddenMusic- Thanks. I enjoy writing it and I thought it'd be a neat twist too._

_**Chapter 6**_

"And, this is the Apprentices' Den," mewed Firepaw, waving his tail in the air.

"Right… Okay…" Graypaw's ears were pressed against his head, his tail drooping on the ground. He had already received his mentor, Stonefur. Although, to his surprise, Mistyfoot had told him instead of the RiverClan leader. He never even saw Leopardfur.

"Uh, want to go claim your nest?" Firepaw offered.

"Nah, it can wait." The gray apprentice lay down, rested his head on his paw, and sighed heavily.

"Don't go into a depression on me," the ginger tom meowed.

With a groan, Graypaw shoved himself onto his paws again. "Happy?" He sighed. "No, you're right. Sorry."

"I am?" Firepaw cocked his head. "Uh, yeah, I am!"

"Where's Silverpaw anyway?" Graypaw asked.

"With Mistyfoot," mewed Firepaw.

"Ah." Graypaw glanced around.

Firepaw twitched an ear. Graypaw sensed uneasiness coming off him in waves. He didn't want to be here. Not with Graypaw, anyway. Graypaw had thought that if he was in RiverClan he wold have had a better shot with Silverpaw but now he knew that certainty wasn't the case. Firepaw would be after her too. "Listen," the ginger apprentice meowed at last, "I know that you aren't planning to stay here forever." He took a deep breath. "And I don't want you padding after Silverpaw while you are here. Then, when you leave, she'll be crushed and you won't be here to put her back together. You're all she talks about you know." His green eyes narrowed in distaste. "And I don't see why, no offense."

Graypaw flicked an ear. "None taken." He paused. "But that's not gonna happen. I'll go back long enough to defeat Tigerstar and I might even return for good but I will never, _never_ leave her alone."

"You're right," Firepaw mewed coldly. "I'll always be there for her." Silence flitted through them but they surveyed each other coldly. "This is it," the ginger apprentice mewed suddenly. "Like something one of my old two-legs used to say. "All's Fair in Love and War"."

Graypaw smiled slightly and chuckled. "All's fair in love and war," he muttered. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Graypaw! Firepaw!" Silverpaw bounded to them. "What were you talking about?"

"Poppy seeds," Graypaw mewed coolly, not taking his gaze from Firepaw's challenging eyes. Finally, he turned to Silverpaw and added, "You really don't want to know."

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking." Silverpaw chuckled. "Come on, Graypaw, Stonefur wants to do some training with you."

Graypaw winced slightly. "Okay, I can…" Then he remembered he wasn't in ThunderClan. "Where?" he sighed as he stood up, trying to keep his tail from dragging on the ground again.

"I'll show you." Silverpaw got to her paws. "Come on."

--

Ravenpaw looked up at Spottedleaf. "You won't tell what I did?"

"Of course not. It was a very wise decision," Spottedleaf mewed. "You'll make a great medicine cat."

"Thanks." Ravenpaw looked at his paws, his ears sliding down. His wise decision had cost him his best friend.

"I know you miss him," Spottedleaf meowed, flicking his side with her tail. "But you have to keep going. You saved his life. You can still see him at Gatherings too."

"What about Cinderkit?" sighed Ravenpaw.

"Cinderkit will be okay."

"What will we tell everyone?"

"Graypaw left. That's all anyone needs to know. Tigerstar will have no reason to suspect you." She licked the top of his head comfortingly, making Ravenpaw's heartbeat quicken. "You did well. I'm proud." Ravenpaw felt warm inside again at the words. He did good. He'd made Spottedleaf proud.

--

"Stonefur." Silverpaw bowed her head in respect. "I'm gonna go back now and see how I can help around camp." She flicked Graypaw's side with her tail and slipped imbetween the reeds, padding away from them. Graypaw looked up at his new mentor, his fur bristling uneasily.

"No need to look so frightened," Stonefur chuckled. "I don't bite." He thought a minute. "Well, I won't bite you anyway."

Graypaw relaxed. This was different than his old life. He could trust Stonefur. "All right. So, what are we doing?"

"Teaching you how to fish." Stonefur flicked his tail, smiling kindly at his apprentice.

"Oh, yeah, RiverClan cats…" Graypaw glanced into the stream and let out a nervous chuckle. "…Fish." After his last, near-drowning experience, he had attempted to keep out of the water (not counting when he was drugged and didn't have a choice).

"Don't worry." Stonefur flicked his tail as he padded to the side of the river.

Graypaw slowly padded to his side and crouched next to him. "Wh-what do I do?"

"Watch me." Stonefur put his paw in the water and let it rest there, moving with the current. A fish swam up near it and Stonefur flicked his paw out of the water. The small creature landed on the ground, flopping around violently. Stonefur bent down and finished it off.

"I saw a RiverClan cat flick it into the air and catch it in her mouth," Graypaw mewed, referring to when he first saw Silverpaw. "Can you do it?"

Stonefur chuckled. "Of course I can. But we're starting you out with this. Want to try it or shall I do it again?"

"I can do it." Graypaw looked up at his mentor and felt a calm smile make its way across his face. For the first time in a long time, he knew for a fact that this was a mentor he could trust.

--

_And there it is! It's shorter than I'd hoped but I'm gonna try to make the next one longer. Please tell me what you think!_


	8. Pain and Suffering

_xxTallstarxx- You'll have to see! I hope you like this next chapter!_

_Broken Gold- Cats have lied to their leaders before in the books. Anyway, yes, he does. That's mentioned in this chapter. And, you'll have to wait and see about the FirexSand stuff!_

_Hidden Music- Thanks! I hope you like this too!_

_Nightmares and Dreams- Cool, thanks! I thought Stonefur would be a good leader for Graypaw._

_--_

_Sorry this took so long everyone! i've been working on a lot of stuff!_

**_Chapter 7_**

Leopardfur was getting worse. She had ordered Mistyfoot to go to the Gathering to make the Clan look strong. Graypaw and Silverpaw could go but Firepaw was forced to stay.

"I'm clawing Ravenpaw's ears off," Graypaw growled under his breath as they padded into the clearing.

Silverpaw chuckled softly. "I'm not. He saved your life, Graypaw."

The other apprentice sighed. "I know."

"I'm glad you're here." Silverpaw flicked her tail against his side. Graypaw grinned and glanced around.

"Graypaw!" Ravenpaw came barreling towards him. "You're okay!" He skidded to a stop infront of him. His white-tipped tail waved in the air in greeting, his eyes gleaming.

"Course I'm okay," Graypaw mewed, grinning at his friend. His grin began to slowly disappear as he noticed a long mark across Ravenpaw's side. "You were punished…"

The black tom shrugged. "It was nothing… Tigerstar couldn't really do too much to me without Spottedleaf getting on his case or me leaving too or something."

"I'm sorry." Graypaw's yellow eyes were filled with regret. "I could go back if…"

"No!" Ravenpaw's eyes flashed. "No way."

"Why not? You're being hurt because of me!"

"It was one time! I'm a medicine cat apprentice now; he can't do much to me. Once I become a medicine cat, he can't touch me." The ThunderClan apprentice's eyes were bright with pride at the thought of his future.

Graypaw sighed. "You're right, you're right…" His paw scuffed the ground lightly as he looked around. He motioned to Silverpaw with his tail and the pretty she-cat padded forward. "Have you two officially met yet?"

"Not exactly." Ravenpaw cast her a calm smile, his clear blue eyes friendly.

"I'm Silverpaw," mewed the RiverClan she-cat in her feather light voice.

"Ravenpaw." The black tom dipped his head in greeting then looked up as Tigerstar's fierce yowl broke into the sky. The massive tabby obviously wanted to speak first, seeing as he was still standing on the Great Rock, his bloodthirsty amber eyes glinting in the night.

"What does _he_ have to say?" hissed Graypaw, his claws sliding into the soft earth. His tail lashed as his yellow eyes gazed intently at his enemy. One day he would save ThunderClan from the vicious ruler.

"Relax." Silverpaw rested her tail-tip on his side comfortingly. "We probably know everything he's about to say."

"You're right." Graypaw looked up at his former mentor and leader, his eyes still blazing with rage.

"One of our apprentices has abandoned us," Tigerstar snarled. Graypaw crouched low to the ground, his ears flat against his head, his tail puffing up in fury. He was not a traitor! He was taken against his will! And it was only so he could survive! "Other than that and the fact that our prey is running well, we have no news." He stepped back and Mistyfoot padded up, a fierce gleam sparkling in her river blue eyes.

"RiverClan has a new apprentice," she announced clearly. "Crookedstar has died but Leopardfur will take over as our leader soon enough." She stepped back and, once again, the other Clans had no news that was as colorful. Brokenstar had just stepped back when Firepaw burst into the clearing.

"Mistyfoot!" he yowled. "You have to come back right away!" His green eyes were wide and bright with horror and shock. Mistyfoot's eyes snapped to him and she nodded. She bounded off the rock, swished her tail for RiverClan to follow, and bounded towards RiverClan. She seemed to understand what was happening but Graypaw had no idea.

"What's going on?" Graypaw hissed as he fell into step beside Firepaw.

"Leopardfur is dying," Firepaw mewed urgently. Graypaw glanced at him in shock.

"What? No!" Silverpaw bounded ahead to the front.

"You're kidding. Please, please tell me you're kidding," Graypaw muttered.

"I'm not kidding." Firepaw sighed. "She's almost to StarClan. She demanded to see Mistyfoot first…"

"Oh, man." Graypaw half-expected Firepaw to ask why he cared but no such comment came. Were they allies this once? Were they united in the hopes that their leader would survive?

"Leopardfur!" Mistyfoot bounded into the den once they had reached camp. Firepaw, Graypaw, and Silverpaw waited outside, looking at each other in silence.

Mudfur padded out, shaking his head sadly. "She's gone. Before she left, she gave her position to Mistyfoot." The slim figure of Mistyfoot slowly made her way out of the den and glanced around. She saw Firepaw and padded to the group, probably because he was now mentorless.

Firepaw's ears flattened against his head, his green eyes horror-struck. "Who will mentor me?" His voice was hardly above a whisper. Graypaw felt a pang of sympathy slash through him like a set of fierce claws.

Mistyfoot sighed. "I don't know. We won't leave you mentorless." Graypaw felt a small shiver take him over at the thought. He'd been given different mentors several times.

"I can do it, Mistyfoot. I know it's unheard of for a warrior to volunteer but… I just think you've got a lot to worry about without trying to find a mentor." A dark warrior padded to them. His green eyes were soft and kind as he glanced down at Firepaw before looking back at his new leader.

"Yes, thank you very much, Whiteclaw." Mistyfoot nodded at him then looked down at Firepaw. "You're new mentor will be Whiteclaw. I'll announce it tonight."

"Mistyfoot." Mudfur padded to his leader and bowed his head. "I think you should go to the Moonstone before the next gathering. Much before. We cannot loose another leader like this."

The young light gray she-cat nodded once more. "All right. That's a good idea. Come with me to my den and we will discuss this further." The two older cats padded away slowly towards the den that now belonged to Mistyfoot.

--

A few days later, Graypaw was sitting by the river on a one-cat patrol so he could think without interruptions. Silverpaw had gone to the Moonstone with Mistyfoot to get her nine lives and he didn't really want to spend the day with Firepaw. The two of them had been nicer to each other, bonded by the understanding of being shifted from mentor to mentor, but they didn't necessarily enjoy being in each other's company. The gray apprentice looked up as he saw a familiar light ginger cat on the other side of the border. "Sandpaw?" he asked in disbelief. "What are you doing alone?"

"What are you doing over in RiverClan?" she snapped. However, the fire in her eyes died soon after and she sighed. "It's Sandstorm now, actually."

"Really?" Envy pricked at Graypaw's belly.

"Yeah. I guess Tigerstar wanted more warriors." She shrugged. "Anyway, we have new apprentices now." Her green eyes flashed and her shoulders hunched. "Thanks to you, Tigerstar wanted a new apprentice. Guess who he chose?"

Graypaw shrugged. "I don't know. Just tell me."

"Cinderpaw."

His jaw dropped open. "No, no, no, no, no!" His claws dug into the earth. "She isn't six moons yet!"

Sandstorm shrugged and closed her eyes. "Basically. Five moons and a half but what can we do?"

"He made her an apprentice early?" choked out Graypaw. "_His_ apprentice early? She'll never survive!"

"Well…" The ginger she-cat's eyes blazed again. "It's no concern of yours, RiverClan cat."

He sighed. "Sandpa-storm. I never meant to leave."

She looked at the grass below her paws. "Things are bad over here, Graypaw." He could hardly hear her soft voice over the rushing water.

"I know. I'm going to help you."

"You? Help? You couldn't even take battle training!" she scoffed. "One session and Spottedleaf won't let you train for a moon! Honestly!"

He unsheathed his claws. "Fine, be like that. But just you wait Sandstorm. I'm going to stop him!" He turned and trotted back towards his camp without another word. He felt her green eyes staring into his back as he left but the gray tabby refused to cast even one look back. She wasn't his Clanmate anymore, he didn't need her to be there to judge him.

All that was in his mind was Cinderpaw.

--

"Graypaw, talk to me."

"No."

"Graypaw, please! Something's wrong, I'm not stupid."

"Beg to differ." Graypaw shouldered past Firepaw and stalked into the Apprentices' Den, furious with himself.

Firepaw circled around to glare into the den. "Well, fine! I was just trying to help but I see the mighty wandering apprentice doesn't need any!" He sat down infront of the den, irritated, whiskers twitching in annoyance. His green eyes narrowed as he thought of what he'd like to do to Graypaw when he came out: pounce on him and give him a nice shredding.

However, the fiery apprentice sighed and guilt washed over him as he tried to think of a good reason to hate Graypaw. He had only started being so arrogant this afternoon and before they had declared hate for each other (which Firepaw had started), he had tried to be the ginger tom's friend. Firepaw shifted as he came to the answer in his mind. Silverpaw.

--

Silverpaw trotted back into the camp, Mistystar beside her. It was very late now, the moon was out and the sky was at its darkest. "Thank you for accompanying me, Silverpaw," mewed Mistystar and Silverpaw dipped her head then trotted to the Apprentices' Den to find Firepaw waiting for her. The first words out of his mouth shocked her.

"There's something wrong with Graypaw. He just came back to camp earlier this afternoon and marched into the den! He won't talk to anyone. Shadekit asked me if he was alive."

Silverpaw glanced at him, alarmed, and padded into the den. "Graypaw?" she whispered. The gray form of his friend shifted but was then still. "Graypaw!" She bounded to him and crouched beside her friend. "Are you okay?"

He turned his head away from her with a sound that was almost a whimper.

"Tell me what happened." She licked her friend's shoulder encouragingly.

He closed his eyes and murmured, "It's all my fault…"

Concern lit her eyes. "Graypaw, what happened? What's wrong?" He tried to turn away from her again but she hissed, "Tell me!"

He opened his eyes and looked at her, pain reflecting in the yellow pools. "He made her an apprentice early… Five and a half moons… He made her his apprentice…"

"Who?" Silverpaw pressed her muzzle into his shoulder. "Cinderkit?"

He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah… Oh, StarClan, what have I done? He'll kill her…" No more words were exchanged. The silver she-cat rested her head across his shoulders and he put his head on his paws. They lay like that for quite some time, the she-cat giving comfort, and the tom taking it gratefully. Neither of them moved all night.

--

_There it was! The next chapter is already written and will be put up soon!_


	9. an Unexpected Friendship

Oh my gosh guys. I know I said this would be fast but I coudl ahrdly get online for a while. So, for the wait, you get two chapters this time!

**_Chapter 8_**

"Do you want to hunt with me?"

Graypaw looked up, startled, at the dark ginger tom eating across from him. Silverpaw, who was eating with them, looked from Firepaw to Graypaw and back again with a purr of delight. "Uh, sure," he mewed slowly. A few sunrises had passed since he had found out about Cinderpaw and, though he was still full of anxiety, he had begun trying to act normal for the sake of his Clan. They were coming back around but the death of Leopardfur had been tough on them. Graypaw didn't think they could have come back around so fast if anyone but Mistystar was leading the Clan. Stonefur was a great deputy as well and he was always ready to help a cat in need.

"Good." Firepaw licked his jaws and got to his paws. "You ready?"

"Yup." Graypaw devoured the last bite of his mouse, leapt to his paws, and mewed, "See you later Silverpaw."

"Bye." Firepaw led the way out of camp, Graypaw right behind them.

Once they were out, the gray apprentice padded to the ginger cat's side. "What's all this about?" he asked, voicing his surprise at being asked to hunt.

"Well…" Firepaw looked straight ahead. "I want to know what's going on with you. You've been weird for the last few days and I'd like to know why?"

"Why does it matter?" Graypaw mumbled. However, he looked up and meowed, "I've done something bad. Not only did I leave my Clan and my friends but that kit I told you about, Cinderkit, she was apprenticed a half moon early. She's Tigerstar's apprentice. I don't see how she'll survive."

"Oh…" Firepaw avoided his glance for a few heartbeats then met it. "It isn't your fault. You never asked to leave. We took you here against your will."

Graypaw looked at his paws angrily. "I could have left at any moment. You never forced me to stay. I just did."

Firepaw laughed harshly. "Like you could have fought the current at that point in time? It would take RiverClan training before you could do that!"

"Why do you even care?" Their gaze met again.

Firepaw broke the connection and looked straight ahead. "I dunno. I guess that if Silverpaw's accepted you, I shouldn't be so quick to go against her."

Finally something they could both discuss. Graypaw smiled. "She's a special cat… Silverpaw, I mean."

"I know who you mean." The other tom's green eyes lit with sudden warmth at the thought of the silver tabby. "Her eyes are so clear and her heart is so big. Not to mention her brains. She's one of the smartest cats I know."

Graypaw nodded. "She's the only cat I know that would see a wounded cat from another Clan and swim over to help them." A sliver of humor lit his yellow eyes as he added, "Other than you of course."

Firepaw sighed and nodded. "What ever tom becomes her mate in the end is a lucky cat." Their eyes met and he added, "All's fair in love and war?" There was a friendly, challenging, almost playful note in his voice.

Graypaw's yellow eyes gleamed as he agreed, "All's fair in love and war." Then he stopped, his long fur bristling. "Do you smell that?"

Firepaw froze beside him, his green eyes hard. "Look's like you might have seen a fox when you met us after all."

"I didn't then but I know what I smell now," Graypaw mewed, glancing around. "Keep your eyes open."

"I know what to do," Firepaw snapped. The two toms slowly moved around so they were positioned back to back and the ginger tom mewed softly, "I can't see it. Could it be from ThunderClan or ShadowClan? We're right by the river so we could be smelling it from the other border."

Graypaw shrugged. "Maybe… But don't…" A fresh wave of the scent hit him and he wrinkled his nose and crouched, ready for a fight. "Go get Mistystar. It's definitely here."

"No."

Graypaw's fur bristled with frustration. Of all the times for Firepaw to be extremely stubborn! "Just go!"

"No. One cat can't take on a fox alone! You'll die!"

"The Clan has to be warned! If I die, so be it."

"We brought you here so you could live, in case you forgot!" the ginger tom retorted.

"Fine! We'll face it toge-" He never finished his sentence. With a yowl, the ginger streak of a fox hurtled into Graypaw, knocking him over. Its fierce claws raked through his fur, breaking the skin and making blood ooze over his fur. He kicked it off with its hind paws and Firepaw tackled it before it could jump at him again.

The fox tore at Firepaw brutally, making the tom yowl with pain. It went for his throat but Graypaw hurtled himself at the creature, ripping it away from his Clanmate. The fox struggled against him and Graypaw tried hard to hold it down. However, it raked its claws over his belly, making him rear up. When he was off, it shot into him, knocking him down. _StarClan, please bring us help!_ he prayed silently.

"Firepaw! Graypaw!"

The weight was lifted off him and he heard a strangled cry. Slowly, he got to his paws and glanced to his left to see Stonefur lifting his head from the now dead fox. He looked at them, his eyes blazing. "What were you doing?" he snarled. "Why didn't one of you go back for help? If my patrol hadn't heard the yowls, you would have been crowfood!"

The two apprentices hung their heads and Graypaw mewed, "There wasn't time. If one of us let, the other would have been killed, Stonefur."

The gray tom sighed. "I suppose your right. Good work. Come on back to camp, all right? Go to Mudfur and get some rest. You look exhausted." He turned and led the way back to camp, the two apprentices padding after him slowly. At the same time, they looked at each other and grinned.

"That… was… brilliant," Firepaw mewed quietly.

Graypaw beamed back and meowed, "That's one way to make a friend." Firepaw didn't reply but he didn't have to. Graypaw knew that the ginger tom agreed. They were friends now, as well as Clanmates.

--

"Fighting a fox alone. Could you two be more mouse-brained?" Silverpaw paced back and forth as they lay in the Medicine Cat's Den, gathering their strength. "You could have been killed!"

Graypaw chuckled and Firepaw rolled his eyes.

"I don't find anything funny about this!" The silver she-cat snapped, glaring at them.

"You just need time," Graypaw told her.

Firepaw nodded. "I'm sure after a few moons, you'll find this very amusing."

"I will never find this _amusing_!" Silverpaw had stopped pacing. She was facing them, absolutely quivering with fury. "I could go to StarClan and back and still not find it amusing! And you know what's worse? I-"

"Graypaw, Firepaw." Mistystar padded into the den, twitching her whiskers. "You two did a brave deed by trying to stall that fox today. It will not go un-rewarded."

Silverpaw twitched her tail in exasperation. "Now they're being _rewarded_ for it? Now they have no motivation to grow brains!"

Mistystar smiled at her apprentice and then looked back at the toms. "The three of you will have your warrior ceremonies this evening."

The apprentices looked at each other then stared at her, eyes wide.

"R-really?" Graypaw finally gasped.

The gray she-cat nodded her head. "Now rest for the rest of the afternoon. When the sun begins to set we will hold the ceremony." She turned and padded away.

--

His heart pounding, Graypaw padded beneath the rock that Mistystar was perched on. She gazed down at the apprentices then mewed, "Firepaw, Graypaw, you have both shone great courage today. Stonefur, did they fight like warriors?"

Stonefur bowed his head. "They did, Mistyfoot."

The light gray she-cat nodded. "And, Silverpaw, your kindness makes you a fair and just cat and your bravery makes you a powerful warrior. The three of you are ready." She looked at the sky. "These apprentices have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend them to you as warriors in return." Her blue eyes looked back at the apprentices. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," the three said together.

"Then I give you your warrior names. Silverpaw, you are gentle and kind but a powerful force hen reckoned with. For that, I give you the name of Silverstream." Silverstream held her head high, her blue eyes filled with pride. "Firepaw, your coat is the color of fire and your heart is just as powerful as a true fire could be. For that, you will now be known as Fireheart." Fireheart beamed at her, holding himself a bit higher. "And. Graypaw. You have been through quite a journey just to get here, which shows how strong of a cat physically and in your heart you are. You are hereby known as Graystripe." Graystripe's heart pounded and his yellow eyes searched the crowd for Cinderpaw as his clan chanted their names. Then he remembered that he was in RiverClan now and Cinderpaw was in ThunderClan, with Tigerstar.

But his heart swelled all the same as Silverstream's tongue rasped around his ear and she whispered, "We did it."

No words would come. He just smiled at her and even beamed at his new friend as Fireheart grinned at them both. This was it. This was the start of his new life.

But why did he feel like there was something he just couldn't forget?

--

_So, there it is. Again, I apologize for the wait._


	10. News of a Cinder

**_Chapter 9_**

Graystripe laughed loudly. "Do you even know what your talking about, Fireheart?" Two moons had passed since they had become warriors and the toms were becoming fast friends.

The ginger tom shook his head. "Not exactly. But I have to say that-"

"Graystripe!"

Graystripe looked up to see a fluffy gray she-cat on the ThunderClan side of the border. "Cinderpaw?" he gasped.

She beamed at him. "I haven't seen you in ages! And now you're a warrior!"

He scrambled to his paws. "How's your training with Tigerstar?"

She hesitated then mewed, "It's okay… I've gotten really quick so Ravenpaw isn't as worried anymore. I'm doing okay."

Graystripe felt sick to his stomach. "Did he hurt you?"

She hesitated again. "It was just training," she finally mewed.

He stared at his paws. "Right. Just training."

"Cinderpaw!" barked an all too familiar voice.

She winced. "I'll see you later." The apprentice bounded off.

"Graystripe…" Fireheart padded to his side. "It's not your fault."

The dark gray warrior stared after the apprentice and then slowly looked at his friend. "Yes… Yes, it is…" He turned and started to trott away but Fireheart cut him off with a hiss.

"Will you stop being such a mouse-brain?" he snapped.

Graystripe glared. "Get out of my way." He made to go around the ginger tom but Fireheart blocked him again.

"No! Besides, I wanted to talk to you about something important!"

The gray tom tore at the grass with his claws then sat down. "Okay, fine."

"It's…" Fireheart took a deep breath and then sat down as well. "It's Silverstream."

"What about her?" Graystripe cocked his head.

The ginger tom took a deep breath. "I think we should end our mock competition. It's obvious who she loves."

Graystripe's heart sank. Did his friend have to bring this up now? "Yeah? So, go back to camp and tell her how you feel or something."

Fireheart pricked his ears. "What? I wasn't talking about me! It's you she loves, Graystripe. She always has. It's you she talked to when Crookedstar died. Yeah, yeah I spied, okay? It's you she always talked about when you were in ThunderClan. She broke the warrior code to save your life twice! I've never been grown up enough to face up to it."

Graystripe's yellow eyes widened. "Wait, you think that I should tell her that I love her? Now?"

Fireheart nodded. "As soon as we get back to camp anyway."

He hesitated. "T-today? I don't know if I should…"

"Just do it, you stupid furball," mewed Fireheart. "Come on, let's get to camp." The two toms started padding back towards RiverClan camp. "So, we're going to the Gathering tonight." Graystripe grinned. He hadn't been to a gathering since his apprentice days and, although it had been announced, he couldn't wait to tell Ravenpaw, even if his friend already knew.

Fireheart rolled his eyes. "Nice subject change. It isn't working. Go." He nudged Graystripe towards their silver friend sitting by the fresh-kill pile.

"I, uh, don't think that now's a good-"

Fireheart gave him a shove and the gray tom padded towards Silverstream. She looked up and wiped her tongue over her jaws as she mewed, "Hey, Graystripe."

"Hi." He cleared his throat. "Can we talk?"

"Sure…" She looked surprised but mewed, "Where?"

"Here's fine." He swallowed, trying to decide if he should run or not. "Well… I've been here for a few moons and, even before that, you were always there. You saved my life twice… No, three times: the first training session, the time I fell in the river, and the final session. And, I just…" He took a deep breath. "I love you."

She blinked and stared at him for a few heartbeats then got to her paws and nuzzled him. "I love you too, Graystripe." He blinked, shocked, and then nuzzled back gently. Now, his life in RiverClan was complete.

At least, that's what he told himself.

--

"I told you so," meowed Fireheart smugly as they padded into the clearing for the gathering. Silverstream was left back at the camp and the two toms were waiting for the meeting to start.

"Yeah, yeah," Graystripe mewed, swiping at his friend's ears playfully.

"Graystripe?"

He turned to see a sleek, skinny, black tom standing there, smiling at him with bright eyes.

"Ravenpaw!" He rushed forward to greet his friend.

"Raven_wing_," corrected the tom. "Spottedleaf gave me my name last half moon."

Graystripe purred. "You deserve it. Remember Fireheart?"

The ginger tom bowed his head as Ravenwing mewed, "Of course. How are you?"

"Fine," Fireheart mewed.

"How's life in RiverClan?"

"Good," Graystripe replied.

"Graystripe has a mate," Fireheart teased.

Smugness entered Ravenwing's yellow eyes. "Silverstream?"

Graystripe nodded. "As of this afternoon."

"This is quite a day for you," Ravenwing meowed.

"How's Cinderpaw?" Graystripe asked.

The black tom looked at him blankly for a moment then mewed, "She's fine. She's been to my den a few times."

"Anything as bad as me?"

Ravenwing shook his head. "It seems Tigerstar learned his lesson. But her training sessions are getting worse. He seems to think that she's getting experienced enough. But she's fast, unlike you. You're slow as a lopsided badger!" He crouched playfully but Graystripe wasn't in the mood for playing around.

"How bad will he get?"

"Uh…"

"Ravenwing. How bad will he get with her?"

The black cat shrugged. "Probably as bad as he got with you… But like I said, she is really quick. She hasn't been injured much yet because she can avoid blows easier than you could."

"Hear that?" Fireheart nudged him. "She'll be okay."

"Her chances are good," Graystripe mewed shortly.

"Ravenwing. What are you…" Sandstorm padded to the group then stopped. "Graypaw," she mewed. Her voice wasn't cold but it wasn't inviting either. Apparently she hadn't been to a gathering recently either.

"Hello, Sandstorm." He dipped his head. "It's Graystripe now. This is my friend Fireheart."

"I, uh, I…" Fireheart stared at her for several heartbeats. "Hi…" Ravenwing and Graystripe fought laughs as Sandstorm eyed him curiously.

"Hi," she mewed hesitantly. Mistystar yowled for the gathering to begin and the group of cats looked up. Sandstorm gave Ravenwing a look and padded away to sit.

He rolled his eyes and mewed quietly, "We've become friends. She's bossy as anything but what can I do?"

Graystripe chuckled and noted Fireheart's eyes still stuck to her. Witha smirk he nudged his friend and hissed, "Go. Go sit with her."

"What? Oh, I don't think-"

"Go!" Graystripe nudged him heavily and Firehert padded to the ginger she-cat and sat down. With a grin, Graystripe settled himself by Ravenwing to listen to the Gathering.

--

_And there's the second chapter as promised. Hope ya liked it._


	11. Going Out

I'm back! :) Here ya go!

**Chapter 10**

Ravenwing stepped out of his den and stretched, closing his eyes as the sun soaked into his fur. "Ravenwing!" called an excited voice.

He opened his eyes as Cinderpaw bounded to him. "Hey, Cinderpaw," he mewed. "How are your wounds?"

She hesitated before replying, "Better. I can walk again!" She stepped back, to show him that her bad paw was working but he saw her wince a little when it hit the ground. She did a good job about hiding it though.

"I see," he mewed slowly, knowing what was coming.

"Can I train again? Please, please, please?" She stared up at him with big, blue eyes.

He sighed. "I don't know, Cinderpaw…" It had been nearly a moon since the last gathering and he wanted her in good enough condition to see Graystripe at the next one so he could see for himself that she was more or less okay.

"At least let me go hunting with Brackenpaw? I am _so_ bored!" she whined.

Ravenwing was quiet for a moment, then he meowed, "Fine. But you can go with me because I was going to go out to gather herbs anyway."

Relief filled her eyes. "Thank you!" She bounded towards her brother, who was eating a vole.

"We're leaving soon!" he called after her, already padding towards the entrance for the camp.

"Are you taking her out?" Sandstorm asked, joining him.

He nodded. "She needs to stretch her paws and I have to gather herbs. Brackenpaw's coming too, I think."

"Can I come?"

He looked at her, surprised. "Sure." He wanted to ask why she would want to but he stopped himself, not wanting to sound rude. "Someone should watch them in case they wander when I turn away for an herb."

She nodded, her green eyes sparked with amusement. "I definitely understand that."

The two apprentices scrambled up to join them at that moment so Ravenwing turned to them. "We're ready!" Cinderpaw reported, her eyes glinting, looking excited at the idea of getting out of camp.

The group padded out of camp and Ravenwing automatically led the way towards Riverclan's border. He felt Sandstorm watching him knowingly but Ravenwing pretended not to notice as they reached the border. He immediately began sniffing around, only half looking for herbs.

"Ravenwing?"

His heart leapt as he looked up and met his friend's fmailiar yellow gaze. "Graystripe!" he purred.

Fireheart padded beside him and dipped his head in greeting. Ravenwing swished his tail in response. Sandstorm joined him and nodded at the two toms then Ravenwing felt her gaze burning into his shoulder again. "How are you?" Graystripe mewed.

"Fine," Ravenwing answered, feeling an ache in his chest. He missed his friend and longed for him to be back home in ThunderClan but things were coming together for Graystripe over there. Besides, it still wouldn't be safe for him. Tigerstar saw him as a traitor, unaware that it was really Ravenwing's fault that Graystripe had left. "What about you?"

"Good."

"It's good to see you again," Fireheart mewed. Ravenwing looked at him in surprise then had to stop himself from purring in amusement as he realized the RiverClan tom was looking at Sandstorm.

Sandstorm nodded her head but didn't answer him. She might have if the apprentices hadn't run back to them. Cinderpaw skidded to a stop when she saw Graystripe, her eyes lighting up. "Graystripe!"

Graystripe's ears pricked up and he began to paw the ground, obviously wanting to leap over the river to see his friends again. "Cinderpaw!" he mewed, his voice a little strained as he tried to gain self control again. "It's good to see you…" _Okay,_ Ravenwing finished for him silently.

"It's good to see you too!" Cinderpaw purred. "I wish I had gone to the Gathering last moon!"

"Maybe we'll see each other this time," Graystripe mewed. "You could see Silverstream."

Cinderpaw twitched her ear. "Your mate, right?"

Graystripe nodded. "That's right."

"Ravenwing, we should get moving. If we come back with no prey and no herbs the others will wonder," Sandstorm mewed.

He twitched his tail in agitation, although he knew she was right. "She's right," he sighed. "We'll see you soon, Graystripe."

Graystripe smiled sadly. "You too, Ravenwing, Cinderpaw, Sandstorm, Brackenpaw." He dipped his head to each then Ravenwing turned with the others and padded back into the forest. His paws felt heavy suddenly and he swallowed, thinking that it might not have been a very good idea to visit his old friend.


End file.
